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Avoid cheap reproductions!
Insist on the real thing. KBLB!
ts78mg
I tend to agree w/ all of that. CEO Thompson has always been 2 to 3 steps ahead of everyone else. Today is no exception. "There’s a reason he threw it out there." Exactly ... many possibilities. Dance w/ the one who brung ya, I say. He got us here to this point and he has earned my respect. This company is in very good hands. The anticipation is palpable. This company is on the verge of Greatness.
Through a mutual friend, I met a retired gentleman who has done very well for himself in his career which may or may not have been involved in the investment game. I told him about KBLB and he was skeptical, at first. I ran into him the very next day and he told me, after looking into it, he bought shares and convinced 3 of his buddies to do the same. I had made a copy of the recent web video (brilliant, by the way, better on the 2nd viewing) transcript and gave it to him. He had done some research, watched the video, and requested another copy of the transcript to send to other potential investors. He and his friends are NOT living on social security. I'll leave it at that.
You can be like the man above, learn something new, and recognize the future. Or you can wait for the first big contract announcement to buy shares. Or wait for us to move to the Naz before you buy shares. Or you can apply for membership to the Bashturds-Gone-Wild club and be forever thereafter known as a scumtard. No pressure, I'm flexible. Or ... tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock ...
Special shout-out to Arachnodude for brilliant spider-silk-themed takeoffs on traditional favorites. Very nicely done. Enjoyed it all. Great stuff.
What's in your future? … BUY MORE SHARES !!!
We are the * NEXT * BIG * THING *
Later, WBeacham
HAPPY METRIC TON NEW YEAR 2025! Pps increased from .03 to .09 in 2024. That’s 3X. With multi metric tons on the way could the pps 3X again in 2025? I friggin’ hope this will finally be the year all Kongs are rewarded and we see additional 25 ton facilities and/or individual family farms brought on board to really advance production of BAM-1. That first metric ton cannot come fast enough. It will be a monumental achievement.
<< kim stated he would make 5 tons in 2025... >>
WRONG AGAIN!
The Scumbag CEO insinuated that he would make 5 tons of YARN. If the yarn contains 10% silk, then that would come to 1/2 ton of silk.
Once again, I don't believe anything that the Douchebag says (since he is a serial liar). He insinuated over and over again that he would make 1 metric ton of silk in 2024, but they didn't even come close. They (maybe) produced 5% of that.
" He said he needed an additional $5 million to ramp up production and open a 'sales office.'"
yea....and wheres the "challenge" in that?...
"Thompson needs money to expand production. He told us this himself."
kim has talked about expanding production for some time...and i have been saying that he needed to get financing to do that...EVERYONE has known for many years now, that if we have initial production success, the next step is OBVIOUSLY growth and expansion... kim now says he is negotiating "a bridge transaction to get us through the production expansion, while we continue
to improve our fundamentals for a potential uplist.
We're working with a trusted financial source, and when the terms are right, we'll announce a deal."...
i dont see anything "challenging" there...just normal business transactions that kim has done many times already...
you seem to want to pretend that i am denying kim needs money for expansion of production...nice try...
your statement which i took exception to was this: "Thompson still has the challenge of sustaining production at the metric ton level and expanding to even bigger production scales."
there is no such challenge at all....and once again, this is what kim said: "The advancements in our manufacturing operations can’t be overstated. We now have the people,
facilities, and supporting infrastructure in place to consistently product silk at muti-ton levels. "...
"If I was UA and I thought Bam-1 was the greatest invention since peanut butter, I'd offer KBLB $5 million and say, "Deliver Bam-1 as quickly as you can." No interest, no terms, just an advance payment. Or I might start a joint venture and contribute $5 million up front to KBLB to get them started."
kim stated he would make 5 tons in 2025...if he takes $5 mil as an "advance payment" from UA, that leaves no room for other business ventures or partnerships other than UA for a long time...although a deal with UA would be a good thing, its probably best for kblb not to lock themselves in completely with just one entity...thats why there is such a thing as negotiations...and thats why i would rather it be a loan...we get the money and the connection to a company like UA would be worth more than the money...and we still have the freedom to work with others...
"Because we know none of these have happened, KBLB does not appear to have much interest from big deep-pocketed customers."
because you have no info as to whether or not there is interest, then there must not be?...because nothing has been announced yet, there must be zero interest?...smh
"That tells us something about the level of interest KBLB has from customers."
the idea that you dont know if there is interest means there isnt any?...alrighty then...
"You simply don't want to admit it."
i will admit that neither you or i know who kim is talking to and what they are saying...so neither of us has any reason to draw conclusions of any kind...so im willing to wait to see what develops...UA is not going to cough up $5 mil in upfront money for a fraction of the Bam1 they need...might they possibly do a low interest loan?...yea, i think so...
Given the limited amount of silk, there is zero need for a sales team right now. Kim and Jon can handle sales to the one customer they will be able to supply. Unless, they are going to sell samples or license the tech out or sell mucho eggs. There’s a reason he threw it out there. But I don’t see the need for a sales team yet. The money would be better used on establishing, staffing, and training another 25 ton facility. But maybe he’s going to license it out or sell eggs to someone who is going to farm it. There are a lot of possibilities. It’s all positive compared to where we were 3, 4, 10 years ago! 2025 is gonna be the biggest production year ever! And we KNOW it going into the year with CONFIDENCE!!!!
Kong on.
Thomnpson told us the challenge in the "web conference." He said he needed an additional $5 million to ramp up production and open a 'sales office.' Thompson could probably open a sales office in Vietnam for $10,000 or less. Thompson needs money to expand production. He told us this himself.
Sorry, no sale.
The question I'm raising is: Why does Thompson need financing? If Thompson is offering such a wonderful product, companies with deep pockets ought to at least offer an advance payment on delivery. Not a loan, not financing, a payment. Before delivery.
If I was UA and I thought Bam-1 was the greatest invention since peanut butter, I'd offer KBLB $5 million and say, "Deliver Bam-1 as quickly as you can." No interest, no terms, just an advance payment. Or I might start a joint venture and contribute $5 million up front to KBLB to get them started.
Because we know none of these have happened, KBLB does not appear to have much interest from big deep-pocketed customers. That tells us something about the level of interest KBLB has from customers. You simply don't want to admit it.
Oh no…I’m not in jail…yet…but that’s where I typically wake up on New Year’s Day…
I guess you'll have to settle for toilet wine and kissing your celly at midnight.
dammit!...here it is New Year's eve and i dont have any money for bail....i was hoping kim would get this pps up so i could have some......guess ill just have to do the time...
"Auld Pumpers Decline" – A KBLB New Year’s Farewell (sang like "Auld Lang Syne")
🎵 Should old pumpers' schemes be forgot,
And buried deep in time?
Their false claims, their hollow plots,
Fade like cheap old wine. 🎵
🎵 For KBLB, truth draws near,
While scammers squirm and whine.
Their cons exposed, so loud and clear,
In failure's sad decline. 🎵
🎵 Oh, their false cries, and constant scams,
While schemers deceive and lie.
Their narratives grow weak and clear,
As scams unravel in time. 🎵
🎵 So raise a glass to truth and strength,
To markets well-defined.
While scammers repeat their lies at length,
Their cons we'll leave behind. 🎵
🎵 Farewell, dear frauds, enjoy your lair,
Your echo chamber shrine.
For honesty is here to stay,
And scams? Past their prime. 🎵
Another phenomenal poem (song), A-man. Your creativity is off the charts. Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year. So glad to have you on the board!
GO KBLB!
A-dude. That is great!!!
Happy New Years to you Brother!
$$$KBLB$$$
"Auld Trolls Decline" – A KBLB New Year’s Farewell (sang like "Auld Lang Syne")
🎵 Should old trolls’ nonsense be forgot,
And buried deep in time?
Their bitter posts, their broken thoughts,
Fade like stale old wine. 🎵
🎵 For KBLB, success draws near,
While trolls just whine and pine.
Their narratives grow weak and clear,
In failure’s sad decline. 🎵
🎵 Oh sustained cries, and constant moans,
While some pretend to shine.
KBLB progress stands, and truth is known,
As troll efforts undermine. 🎵
🎵 So raise a glass to silk and strength,
To milestones well-defined.
While trolls recycle rants at length,
Their posts we’ll leave behind. 🎵
🎵 Farewell, dear trolls, enjoy your cave,
Your echo chamber shrine.
For spider silk is here to stay,
And trolls? Past their prime. 🎵
Here’s to a year where facts outshine fiction and trolls fade into permanent irrelevance. Cheers!
Fact check:
Sales and marketing.
Actually, my post was specifically factual. Be well!
Blessings to you and yours. Would you care to list what predictions you've made since January that have come to fruition? As far as I can see your posts suggest you're projecting your failures onto others. Webslinger has been more correct than you :)
I have no doubt that would be true. We can only hope. Happy New Year bro.
Appreciate the kind words, Heisgreater! Let’s be real, though, if Mr. T ever handed me the KBLB VP of Public Relations badge, you’d see a press release so sharp it would cut through a troll’s argument mid-sentence.
But hey, until then, I’ll just keep holding the line, pointing out the continued progress, and letting the facts speak louder than the noise.
Tic Tok BAM indeed!
#KBLBProgress #FactsOverNoise #TicTokBAM💥
"Thompson still has the challenge of sustaining production at the metric ton level and expanding to even bigger production scales."
no he doesnt: "The advancements in our manufacturing operations can’t be overstated. We now have the people,
facilities, and supporting infrastructure in place to consistently product silk at muti-ton levels."
theres no longer any "challenge"...its just a matter of growing and expanding and having the money to do it...
furthermore: "I can also announce today that our production operations, for the first time are now fully self-sustaining.
No longer requiring laboratory support for silkworm production."
i dont see the "challenge"...
" If he has to survive on his remaining financing"
he wont...not at this stage of the game....i could see some may want to wait to see some deliveries or sales or even products...but thats going to happen soon enough...
"If Bam-1 is the 'material of the future,' why is Thompson struggling to find 'good terms?' "
kim never used the words "good terms"...here is what he DID say:
"We're working with a trusted financial source, and when the terms are right, we'll announce a deal."
im sure they are open to all types of financing including companies that are willing or want to provide it...i dont expect anyone to provide free money for any reason...i also dont believe Kim is "struggling to find" financing...he is simply weighing the choices and terms and has time to make a decision...
"The absence of such interest means companies are not at all convinced about Bam-1 and KBLB's ability to deliver."
most likely interested parties have received samples and tested Bam1...i doubt they have any concerns about it...their concerns, if any, would be more with Kim and his history than anything else...
id be just fine with a loan from a reputable financial institution with good terms...
"Note: If KBLB had signed on to another joint partnerships or venture that entailed an investment in KBLB, Thompson would have been required to report this to shareholders as a material event. No material event: no advanced sales, partnerships, or ventures."
not if there were nda's or they have agreed in principle but have not not yet signed a contract...there are many ways around the material event issue...
A-Dude as KBLB progresses I think Kim should hire you on to the team to be the v.p. of public relations.
Kong wantabe.
Tic Tok BAM!!
I found myself in almost complete agreement with this post. I wouldn't call 2024 'awesome' but I will go with 'very good.' During this past year, KBLB learned what was needed to move silk from the laboratory to commercial production. Thompson still has the challenge of sustaining production at the metric ton level and expanding to even bigger production scales. I believe most of the $5 million Thompson wants is needed to scale up production. A sales office doesn't need a heck of a lot of money. If he has to survive on his remaining financing, production will be unimpressive.
If Bam-1 is the 'material of the future,' why is Thompson struggling to find 'good terms?' If companies believed Bam-1 was truly the 'material of the future,' they would be offfering advances on sales, joint partnerships, joint ventures, or other ways to dump money into a company for favorable opportunities to buy Bam-1. No need for financing.
The absence of such interest means companies are not at all convinced about Bam-1 and KBLB's ability to deliver.
Note: If KBLB had signed on to another joint partnerships or venture that entailed an investment in KBLB, Thompson would have been required to report this to shareholders as a material event. No material event: no advanced sales, partnerships, or ventures.
It's not hard to connect the dots. They are right next to one another.
Your efforts to spin a failure into a great success resemble 12 elephants trying to play Twister.
A failure is a failure. No sale.
Yes I am sure that no one is stepping up to the plate to fund KBLB's expansion. Thompson told us this in the "Web Conference." Watch it again and notice he talks about "financing" and "finding the best terms."
Obviously if UA offers you $5 million as an advance payment on a batch of Spydasilk, this is not financing and the only terms you have to figure out is "What is the best way to say 'Thank you'?" For companies like UA, $5 million doesn't even qualify as chump change. It's the amount they find in the cushions of the CEO's couch on a Tuesday. If UA wanted Spydasilk, they would not hesitate to offer KBLB an advance payment of $5 million, even if they were concerned that KBLB might not be able to deliver.
Once again, Thompson told us that no one has stepped up to the plate. Instead he is looking for the best terms he can arrange for dilutive financing. You don't have to connect the dots. Just listen to the "web conference."
“I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive and sensitive”
lol on the contraire. I presented you with so many over the years FACTS and you responded to me with your obviously emotionally thought out opinions. Everyone has opinions. I’ve been here from the beginning so good luck!!
Is that a question ? I’m referring to the latest video where Kim explicitly states they plan to hire a sales team in 2025 to sell product. That takes money. Thats why I’m looking /hoping to see them announce a bridge loan very soon. Once they have the financing in place , they can accelerate their plan for growth and expansion. Again, all good things but these things take time. I think 2025 is going to be an exciting year filled with lots of great news and announcements. I just don’t agree with you that we will see a product launch in the first half of the year. Unless you’re just talking about the marketing of a product yet to come. They could do that at any time obviously once all parties sign on.
I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive and sensitive ; I’m bullish on the company and the stock. I just don’t see it happening quite as fast as you expect. No , the spydasilk venture did not and does not have the fiber they needed to launch. Or they would have launched. There’s been no inventory on the books. I think you’re confusing them having some samples to work and experiment with and do test runs with , with having enough fiber to mass produce a product. It’s been pretty clear the company has not had enough fiber to launch a product line of anything. They still don’t. The company is building that inventory now and hopefully we hear they’ve reeled at least a ton of silk by the first quarter. Like I said , hopefully we will actually see booked sales by the end of the 4th quarter. Maybe sooner. The company has been pretty clear with the inventory they currently have and they’ve been pretty clear they intend to intensely ramp up their inventory in 2025. It’s all good news. Are they ready to launch and sell a product now ? No. Can they sign a contract and announce a sales deal before they have the inventory on hand ? Absolutely. That’s not the same as being ready to actually launch a product. Maybe that’s the miscommunication. Launching the marketing for an upcoming product to me isn’t the same thing as actually launching the product.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Holy Grail of material fibers hits the world?…….
Those were Kim’s words, he’s looking to bring in a sales team /department.
Sales team” that’s actually funny lol. They have signed partnerships with major industry players developing products with our Spider Silk.
That’s what you’ll see first. The marketing will be from them. Will it be an official world launch including many names? We will see a lot sooner than you think… because unless the Spider Silkworms went on strike. Every harvest is like 10x the previous…MINIMUM.
And if you are up on the news…. Samples have been sent and products have been developed for many years as they worked to settle production.
The SPYDASILK luxury Streetwear line had the fiber they needed and was announced ready to launch in 2023. Kim decided to wait until production was a complete success. Well here we are…
Dec 23….
“We are entering 2025 READY to INTRODUCE our FIRST OFFERINGS in luxury fashion and performance textiles“
Good luck with your opinions….
Although I love your enthusiasm , I wouldn’t read too much into their wording there. Sounds like you think they are ready to launch a product soon but they are clearly not. That wording is more like their wording of dragon silk being ready for scale and sale in 2015. What I’m looking for and would be happy to see in the first quarter is bridge loan completed and any news on a forthcoming partner or reeled / spun tonnage reached. I don’t expect we’ll see any products launch except maybe possibly some limited luxury apparel in the very last quarter of 2025. Possibly. And that’s probably a stretch. Frankly , I don’t expect an actual product available in 2025 at all. They don’t have a sales team in place yet to sell anything. I think 2025 will be a great year full of announcements and wonderful news but no I don’t think we’ll see much at all in the form of an actual product save for limited luxury apparel towards the end of the year. Hope I’m wrong !
Watching for Kraig to show and tell the development of products with big name partners!! Tic toc any day now.
Kraig is the only company with the Holy Grail$$
Dec 23….
“We are entering 2025 READY to INTRODUCE our FIRST OFFERINGS in luxury fashion and performance textiles“
I think fashion is just the low hanging fruit, but Military-Policing are the only picture on the website home page. And Medical is very big on Spider Silk.
Some really FUN$$ times ahead!!!
If we all say we like you will just shut up about how wonderful and smart you are?
You are not the first for anything. Do you see how many posts are on the Kblb board lol. The news has covered everything that is coming.. GELS and FILMS
Now that production is rocking get ready$
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Enters Biomedical Field with First Sample Shipments of Fibers and Fabrics for Tissue Engineering
Press Release | 05/17/2022.
“Over the coming months, we will be closely monitoring the results of these first tests and assessing additional opportunities for the spider silk GELS and FILMS that we have already developed into the broad field of biomaterials."
Your posts are nothing but opinions… Your conversations with Walter Wee and Ben Hansel mean nothing!!! You care way too much about being right and what others think. No one cares….
Good luck with the New Years resolution…. LMAO
that was a stupid post and you dont know jack shit...
Everyone is remaining silent because they're still tightening up the spring to explode. It's the proper way to do this.
Silence is golden.
Worms moths cocoons silk
Worms moths cocoons silk
Worms moths cocoons silk
Worms moths cocoons silk
Repeat a lot of times.
Consistent production.
Test fibers while repeating.
Consistent production.
Create product now that production will be consistent.
Have stock of product.
Worms moths cocoons silk
Worms moths cocoons silk
Sell product.
Kaboom
My New Year's resolution is to approach everyone on iHub with more kindness and to embrace the fact that we're all on this journey together. I hope this summary of what's been shared versus my own contributions highlights my value to the group and helps me earn your respect.
A summary of KBLB posts on ihub in 2024:
$1 in June.
Wait until next week, it's the big PR!
The PPS should be between _____ & _____.
Based on my calculations they've made ___ silk!
Spider silk is created just like regular silk!
KINGS SUCKS!
DILUTION!
Poems
Webslinger (who does have some reasonable thoughts when not spamming)
Short sellers sending signals when to buy/sell
Me losing my absolute mind reacting to some posts
We'll see where the pps is in ___ weeks.
Bashing Kim Thompson
Bashing Ben Hansel
Coming up with everything imaginable that will move the PPS.
A lot of the picture of tanks with parachutes.
A lot of custom memes
A lot of assumptions
Buyout soon!
Soon!
Coming soon!
My posts:
Named the reeling machine and min/max output.
Named February (19th) as potential PPS movement before anyone.
Named Cambodia's ties to polartec before anyone.
Provided factual information through conversations with Walter Wee and Ben Hansel
Brought attention and an end the the obnoxious rise of PPS caused by an unarmed group of individuals from an unarmed FB group.
Confirmed Robert Sullivan is to be untrusted.
Targeted Thanksgiving (in August) as a big announcement which was almost to the day minus the delay Ben Hansel mentioned.
Correctly determined the reasons the KINGS website was down (hacked/update).
First to suggest 3d printing as an avenue for spider silk.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Mojo ; always appreciated ! I’m more excited to own shares of Kblb than ever before. Next year should be fun and interesting.
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Moderators gimmegimmeminemine Money4Nothing-M4N WebSlinger arachnodude |
Email: corporate@KraigLabs.com
KRAIG LABS WEBSITE FOR INVESTORS
Quarterly and Annual Reporting to the SEC is available on the Company's Website and EDGAR.
* Financial Statements * SEC Filings *
Outstanding Shares as of January 12, 2023
For issues or questions relating to share certificates or the transfer of securities please contact the company's transfer agent:
Olde Monmouth Stock Transfer Co., Inc.
200 Memorial Pkwy.
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey 07716
Phone: (732) 872-2727
(since August 14, 2013)
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (KBLB) is the first company with a commercially feasible spidersilk to be mass produced.
Kraig Labs is a biotechnology company focused on the development of commercially significant high performance polymers and technical fibers. Kraig Lab's focus has been on the production of a transgenic silkworm incorporating specific gene sequences from the golden orb weaving spider. These specific gene sequences inserted are to enable the silkworm to spin a new recombinant fiber which incorporates spider silk proteins. With the scientific breakthrough announced on September 29, 2010, Kraig Labs is now working to commercialize the transgenic silkworms to compete in the garment industry silk market. The value for the chinese raw silk market alone is 3-5 billion per annum. With the creation of 20 seperate transgenic silkworms, all with unique properties, Kraig Labs is now working at an accelerated pace to build upon their first generation transgenic organisms to develop their second generation of transgenic silkworm incorporating spider silk proteins. The scientists nearly doubled the strength of the silkworm with these specific spider gene insertions. Their second generation of transgenics are expected to be complete in 2011. These second generation organisms are to be compared with the strength, flexibility and resiliency of the native spider in which the gene sequences are derived from. These fibers which will match the strength of spider silk are expected to compete in the technical textiles market valued in excess of 120 billion per annum. The 3rd generation organisms are currently in the planning phase. These organisms are expected to spin fibers exceeding the strength of native spiders and may incorporate gene sequences that release an antibiotic, or to help reduce scarring with use in bandages.
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has a sponsored research and development program with the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Wyoming. The genetic work is occurring at the University of Notre Dame, headed by Dr Malcolm Fraser, Phd. The gene sequences are derived from Dr. Randy Lewis's(University of Wyoming) patented gene sequences of the golden orb weaving spider. Kraig labs is paying for all expenses incurred for this research and development program, and thus Kraig Labs has exclusive global commercialization rights with the technologies developed, including methods, organisms, and fibers produced.
MANAGEMENT
Kim Thompson, Founder and CEO
As the CEO of the company, Mr. Thompson is the only member of the scientific advisory board who is also
a part of the corporation's management. His formal education lies in the fields of economics and law.
He received his B.A. in Applied Economics from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in 1994.
Mr. Thompson founded Kraig Biocraft Laboratories in his pursuit of the development of new biotechnologies
with industrial applications. As chairman of the scientific advisory board, he brings a unique perspective,and
acts as the primary liaison between the advisory board and the corporation.
Mr. Thompson brings a wealth of experience in business management and consultation to Kraig. Following
the completion of his undergraduate degree, Mr. Thompson joined California Craftsman, Inc. as a
Vice-President with primary responsibility for both marketing and human resources.
Kim Thompson was the director of business development at Franchise Venture Partners, LLC. He subsequently
joined the firm of Shearson, Lehman, Hutton where he specialized in equity trading and research of small cap
companies. Mr. Thompson received the highest series seven score for all Shearson brokers in his class nationwide.
His experience in those small cap equity markets has proven to be invaluable both in his legal and business successes.
Prior to becoming a public company CEO, Mr. Thompson was the founder and senior litigation partner in a California
commercial law firm where he worked as corporate and litigation counsel to privately held and public companies.
His many accomplishments in corporate law include winning and collecting in full what his firm believes to have been
the largest award of lost profits in a California commercial arbitration up to that time. An important part of his work was
winning victories on behalf of corporate clients in disputes over intellectual property and distribution rights. He has
represented business clients ranging from small start ups and micro caps to Fortune 100 companies.
With a background in business leadership and in advising public and private corporations, Kim Thompson continues
to bring a unique perspective to the successful management of business. His extensive business and legal background
enables him to create practical solutions to business problems and seize opportunities for growth.
Mr. Thompson is a member of the Triple Nine Society for persons with documented genius level IQs (having tested above
the 99.9th percentile). He is also active in the realm of science and invention where he has to his credit a number of
provisional patent applications including innovations in the areas of biotechnology, organic polymers, genetic engineering
and magnetic field manipulation, among others.
Mr. Rice has over 13 years’ experience growing development stage businesses with a focus on technology development, commercialization, and go to market strategies. Mr. Rice holds a B.S. in Chemical engineering from Michigan Technological University.
Prior to joining Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Mr. Rice was the Director of Advanced Technologies for Ultra Electronics, AMI. In this role, Mr. Rice was responsible for the identification, capture, and execution of new technology programs. During his tenure with AMI, Rice secured more than twenty five million dollars in funded development programs from the US Department of Defense which his team successfully leveraged into commercially viable spinoff products. Mr. Rice was also responsible for technical sales, marketing, and promotion of AMI’s products and capabilities. Rice joined AMI as the third full time employee and helped to lead the organization through its rapid growth and ultimate acquisition by Ultra Electronics in 2011.
Earlier in his career Mr. Rice developed unique advanced manufacturing techniques, established and trained a production staff, led engineering development, authored numerous technical papers, and is a recognized subject matter expert. Mr. Rice holds 5 issued patents and numerous provisional patents.
Mr. Rice brings a history of transforming revolutionary ideas into viable commercial products.
Mr. Rice is currently completing his Masters of Business Administration through the Executive Program at the Eli Broad College of Business: Michigan State University.
Despite the huge potential of genetically modified animals outside of laboratory research, commercialisation of these animals has been extremely limited. Numerous factors, including negative consumer perception, regulatory hurdles, and limitations inherent to classical GM technologies, have kept the majority of GM animal applications within the realm of academic research. However genome editing using zinc finger nucleases could help develop new markets for the future commercialisation of GM animals.
Genetic modification is commonplace throughout the life sciences sector, from fundamental research to pharmaceutical testing. GM cellular and animal models are valuable tools for the study of many chronic diseases, the testing of pharmaceutical compounds and the development of new therapeutic strategies. Genetic modification also offers great benefits in vaccine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, which rely heavily on the use of GM organisms for biomolecule design and production. Modifying the genome of an organism or cell line allows the incorporation of target biomolecules in specific biological contexts, as well as the transfer of a gene product from a low-producing organism to one that can produce on a commercial scale. These applications have been widely accepted for many years, with countless GM organisms approved for medical manufacturing applications by drug regulators in all major countries. Despite this widespread success within the research and pharmaceutical sectors, the use of GM organisms outside of these markets has been limited.
Despite the lack of broad acceptance for most commercial applications of GM animal products, this technology has been able to gain traction in a few market sectors. The most obvious application has been the commercialisation of transgenic animals for the production of biomolecules for therapeutic use. Cattle, sheep and goats have been used for large-scale production of antibodies, steroids and hormones - most notably insulin - for many years. In 2009, GTC Biotherapeutics received US FDA approval for bioproduction of a recombinant human antithrombin. This product - ATryn - is extracted from the milk of transgenic goats, and is the first approved biopharmaceutical to be produced using genetically engineered animals. Although this is a significant breakthrough for the commercialisation of GM animals, it is still within the pharmaceutical industry, and is a natural progression of existing cell-based technologies. Of potentially greater commercial interest is the extension of genetic engineering outside of this sector, into areas such as food production, textiles and even companion animals.
GM crops have been available in many countries since the early 1990s, and numerous cash crops - including sugar beet, soybean, corn and tomatoes - have been modified to improve resistance to disease, increase the rate of growth or enhance nutritional value. However, cultivation of these transgenic crops is generally tightly regulated, particularly within the European Union, and this, together with negative public opinion, has limited the more widespread development of GM technologies.
Similar to GM crops, many of the animals currently under development are intended to confer disease resistance, an application particularly suited to the use of zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology. Many diseases can be treated by the targeted deletion or modification of a host gene. With ZFNs, these targets can be modified with no footprint of genetic engineering. Due to the high costs of raising livestock, another area of focus in developing commercial GM animals has been increasing the rate of growth or size of animals. Among the first GM animals likely to be launched is a fast growing salmon from AquaBounty. The AquAdvantage Salmon is designed to reach market size in half the time of a wild type salmon, reducing costs for fish farmers and limiting the environmental impact of salmon farming by avoiding the need for ocean pens.
Although genetic engineering of animals for food is primarily driven by economic pressures, GM technologies have also been used in the companion animals market. In this sector, genetic modification can be used for practical purposes - such as the creation of hypoallergenic animals or the correction of heritable congenital defects which have arisen though inbreeding - or for purely cosmetic purposes, such as GloFish. The first example of a GM pet, GloFish are fluorescent zebrafish (Danio rerio) that have had genes encoding naturally fluorescent proteins (GFP, YFP, RFP) inserted into their genome. Developed by a group at the National University of Singapore, GloFish were originally created to develop live detection systems for water pollution. They were introduced as pets in the United States in 2003 following over two years of extensive environmental research and consultation. In Europe however, the sale and possession of GloFish is prohibited by rigorous legislation concerning the use of GM technologies.
By allowing precisely targeted insertion of spider genes and concomitant removal of endogenous silkworm silk genes at the same locus, ZFN technology offers the potential for development of transgenic silkworms which will produce native spider silk at commercially viable levels
Perhaps even more interesting from a commercial perspective is the use of GM animals in the manufacture of textiles. Silkworms - actually the larval form of the silkmoth Bombyx mori - have been used for the production of silk for thousands of years, with natural silk still produced by the cultivation of silkworms today. Silkworm cocoons are unwound to create linear silk threads, then re-spun into textiles in much the same way as cotton. Although the applications of silkworm silk are numerous, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, there is also widespread interest in the silks of several other insects.
Spider silk, in particular, offers numerous possibilities within the technical textiles industry, due to its incredible tensile strength and elasticity; characteristics which have not yet been replicated in synthetic materials. Like all insect silks, spider silk fibres consist of repetitive units of protein crystals separated by less structured protein chains. The exact properties and composition of each spider silk vary with its intended function. Major Ampullate or dragline silk, for example, is relatively hydrophobic with very high tensile strength and toughness, as it is used to form the outer rim and spokes of a web. In contrast, hydrophilic capture spiral silks, which form the inner structures of the web, are sticky and highly elastic to effectively entrap prey. This high degree of variability offers enormous potential for the textiles industry, raising the possibility of tailoring the properties of silk to create advanced technical fabrics, for applications such as bulletproof vests, parachute canopies and automobile airbags; biomedical applications, including sutures and tendon and ligament repair; new fabrics, for sportswear and clothing; and even microelectronics.
Although the use of spider silks for microsutures has recently been reported, more widespread application of spider silk technologies is currently limited by the difficulty in producing silks on a commercially viable scale. This is due to the difficulties of rearing spiders in large numbers, due to their highly territorial and cannibalistic nature. As a result, the harvesting of spider silk fibres is extremely time consuming and labour intensive, with production of the only known spider silk garment - an 11 foot by 4 foot shawl made from golden orb spider silk - taking 150 people over five years to produce and costing in excess of £300,000!
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To overcome these limitations, and allow future development of spider silk technologies, an alternative strategy for spider silk production is required. This makes spider silk production an obvious candidate for genetic modification, inserting spider silk genes into the genome
of other silk-making insects for bioproduction. For example, random insertion of orb spider silk genes into silkworms has allowed production of hybrid spider/silkworm silk using traditional silkworm farming strategies. The resulting hybrid silk contains approximately 10% spider silk
and has greater strength and durability than native silkworm silk, raising the possibility of using transgenic silkworms to produce pure spider silks.
Though straightforward in principle, the exchange of native silkworm genes for spider silk genes, alongside more widespread exploitation of genetic engineering, has been limited by the inherent restrictions of conventional GM technologies.
The generalised process of modifying an organism requires several capabilities, including:
While many different techniques exist for accomplishing each of these steps, most GM technologies offer a compromise between the efficiency of the technique and the ability to accurately and precisely target the locus of interest. Viral genomic delivery technologies effectively deliver nucleic acids to cells and organisms, but fall short on ability to target specific regions of the genome, generally only allowing random insertion of genetic material. In comparison, transposase technologies allow a greater degree of targeting, but leave unwanted traces of exogenous DNA in their wake. Other methods involve the introduction of naked DNA into the cell, which results in insertion into the genome at very low frequencies, usually at random, limiting this approach to organisms that can be economically cultivated at high densities and screened in large numbers. Simply put, most techniques for genetic manipulation are random, inefficient and leave a 'footprint' of foreign DNA. While this is usually tolerated in basic research, it is not acceptable for most commercial applications, and has been a major hurdle for GM animal technologies to date.
The advent of zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology represents a significant breakthrough for commercialisation of GM animal products, offering precisely targeted, efficient genome editing for the first time. Commercially available through Sigma Life Science under the CompoZr brand, this technique can be used to create permanent and heritable changes to an organism of interest.
This high degree of variability offers enormous potential for the textiles industry, raising the possibility of tailoring the properties of silk to create advanced technical fabrics
ZFNs are a class of engineered DNA binding proteins that facilitate targeted editing of the genome by creating double-strand breaks at user-specified locations. These breaks stimulate the cell's natural DNA repair mechanisms - homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) - which can be exploited to achieve rapid and permanent site-specific modification of the desired genes. While HR can be used to insert foreign DNA sequences, NHEJ allows the cell's natural processes to create precisely targeted mimics of natural mutations which leave no traces of foreign DNA. Unlike previous techniques, ZFNs offer excellent sequence specificity, binding 24 to 36 base pair target sequences to virtually eliminate off target effects, and are able to achieve modification rates exceeding 20 %, well above rates for most other technologies.
The technique is already being used to create transgenic silkworms for spider silk production. By allowing precisely targeted insertion of spider genes and concomitant removal of endogenous silkworm silk genes at the same locus, ZFN technology offers the potential for development of transgenic silkworms which will produce native spider silk at commercially viable levels.
GM technologies have revolutionised the research world and have great potential in a variety of commercial applications, but have been limited by the inherent restrictions associated with historical GM technologies. The main drawback of these technologies is their inability to accurately and efficiently target genes of interest, instead relying on random insertion of genetic material into host genomes. These limitations result in the need for extensive and costly screening to identify animals with correct transgene expression (without compromising the viability of the animal), and also result in the co-expression of both the transgene and native homologues already present.
The advent of ZFN technology signifies the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the world of genetic modification, allowing precise, targeted and efficient genome editing for the first time. Production of native spider silk using transgenic silkworms is just one example of the potential commercial applications of this innovative technology, taking us one step closer to the reality of industrial scale biomanufacturing and paving the way for an entirely new spectrum of environmentally friendly materials.
Authors:
Joseph Bedell and Brian Buntaine
Commercial Animal Technologies Group, Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE) Labs, Sigma Life Science
HEADLINES FOR KRAIG BIOCRAFT LABORATORIES / (KBLB):
PHOTOS FROM VIETNAM POSTED JULY 6, 2018
ANN ARBOR, Mich., – January 7, 2019 –Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“Company”), the leading developer of spider silk based fibers, announces today that it has successfully delivered the first two shipments of its highly specialized silkworms, which produce a silk with the physical characteristics of spider silk, to Vietnam.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of more than 5 years of work, and challenging negotiation, with the government of Vietnam. The silkworms from these first two shipments have already hatched and are now enjoying a fresh mulberry diet, so, for the first time in history, the global demand for spider silk materials has a viable, cost effective, and scalable solution.
“The dream of commercializing our powerful technology is now materializing. This marks a dramatic leap forward in Kraig Labs’ business plan for commercial production and mass marketing of cost effective recombinant spider silk, and becomes the foundation for an entirely new industry,” said, COO, Jon Rice. “To our long-term shareholders, who have taken this journey with us, as well as our team in the US and Vietnam, who have worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality, I cannot thank you enough. As we start the New Year, full of new opportunity, we truly have something incredible to celebrate.”
The Company has been working with leading sericulture experts, biotechnology institutions, and governmental agencies, in Vietnam, to further boost the silk industry with our revolutionary technology. Kraig Labs is currently finalizing renovation plans for a ~46,000 square foot production factory in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam.
“Our plan has always been to bring our technology to the silk producing regions of the world for rapid scale-up,” said, CEO and Founder, Kim Thompson. “Today we see the fruits of that effort. With its massive silk infrastructure and production capacity, Vietnam is an ideal location to launch our technology scale-up. Congratulations to our team and shareholders, as we prepare for the realization of large scale production.”
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